With one glorious assist, one goal at the right end, one at the wrong end and a yellow card for supposed simulation, Gareth Bale was integral to nearly everything that Tottenham did at White Hart Lane. Spurs fans should enjoy it while it lasts, because with Bale's reputation still soaring, André Villas-Boas suggested other clubs will attempt to lure the winger away.

"He is performing extremely well for Spurs and we are amazed by what he can do for us," Villas-Boas said. "He's on to a great career and obviously Tottenham want to keep him here as long as we can but we understand that players like this have propositions in the market. That's the nature of the game."

Bale's renown may be luminous but Liverpool found that to be forewarned is not to be forearmed. Tottenham had the visitors reeling in the opening minutes and Bale was the tormentor-in-chief. First he confounded Pepe Reina with a 30-yard free-kick that wobbled in the air and forced the goalkeeper into an improvised save. Then, after Jermain Defoe dispossessed Steven Gerrard in midfield, Bale galloped down the left wing before firing just wide. A breakthrough was already looking inevitable and, sure enough, in the seventh minute Bale embarked on another jagged dash down the left.

After leaving three opponents panting in his wake, the Welshman delivered a low cross that Aaron Lennon turned into the net at the back post.

That woke Liverpool up and Hugo Lloris had to make an urgent save from Luis Suárez moments later. Spurs were full of swagger going forward but shaky at the back and Jordan Henderson spurned a prime opportunity to take advantage of that in the 14th minute when, after a mix-up between Lloris and Kyle Walker, he failed to find the unguarded net from 20 yards.

Such wastefulness contrasted with the shot that Bale produced to double Tottenham's lead in the 16th minute, his 25-yard free-kick swerving outrageously, aided by a slight deflection, before landing in the opposite side of the goal to the one where Reina was heading.

Liverpool did not panic. That is not Brendan Rodgers's way. Instead they kept probing and began regularly to pull the Spurs defence to and fro. They may have cut the deficit in the first half had most of the chances not fallen to José Enrique, whose general play was impressive but finishing awry.

Liverpool could have had a penalty for what Rodgers – bristling with indignation at the referee Phil Dowd's performance – later termed a "near assault" on Gerrard, who fell in the box under a challenge by Mousa Dembélé. Liverpool stopped appealing for a spot-kick when the ball broke to Suárez, who poked it towards the net from 10 yards, only for Walker to clear it off the line. Still, Rodgers, constantly scribbling notes on the sideline, was being shown ample ways that his side might get back into the game. Giving the ball to Suárez must have been top of the list, as usual.

Spurs, meanwhile, kept feeding Bale, who troubled Reina with another long-range shot just before the break.

Liverpool were on top for most of the second half, their snappy passing and movement depriving the hosts of the ball for long periods. Bale only threatened intermittently now, another wondrous free-kick from him in the 69th minute hurtling inches wide. Later he launched an increasingly rare counterattack and tumbled under a challenge from Daniel Agger. Replays suggested there was nothing dishonest about the fall but Dowd suspected a dive and booked Bale. That, too, reflected an aspect of his reputation. "It's very difficult for referees to judge players of his pace and ability," was Villas-Boas's explanation.

Two minutes later Bale's fortunes nosedived. After Spurs failed to repel a Liverpool corner, Lennon booted a Gerrard header off the line but straight into the face of Bale, whose pain was compounded by the ball bouncing into the net.

Liverpool sought an equaliser in vain, Suárez rasping a shot inches over from 10 yards in the 80th minute. To Rodgers's incredulity, Suárez, like Gerrard earlier, also had a strong penalty claim rejected as Tottenham held on for three points.

"It's incredible that we have gone through the season and haven't had a penalty," raged Rodgers. "Statistics will tell you we've been in box as much as anyone and although we know we need to be more clinical, to arrive at this stage of season and not get a penalty … I can go through a whole raft of [incorrect] penalty decisions and offside decisions that were actually pretty straightforward."

Doubtless others may debate that but it would be hard to disagree with the Liverpool manager when he declared that his team would have warranted at least a point from this performance. "After the way we played we would have been disappointed not to win, so to come away with nothing is hard. But if we keep playing like that we'll win plenty."